A journalist from Namibia’s independent television station, One Africa TV, asked me in November 2008 what appeared to be a simple question: why is there no political support for media development in southern Africa? This led to a moment of reflection, focusing on the capacity and ability of southern African governments to participate in the development of the media. Media development is intrinsically linked to the government because policymakers can provide an environment that is conducive to the media’s growth. Struggles to improve the media in the region have been labelled as anti-government, because criticism of government in the region is perceived as political and negative. Rarely is criticism taken in the spirit of constructive engagement. It must be noted, however, that great strides have been made since the 1991 Windhoek Declaration, which called upon African governments to do more to open the media space. Across Southern Africa there are now far more radio stations and newspapers, and more people are accessing the internet and mobile telephony. Governments in Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique are more open to engage with the media than before. These are commendable and positive developments. However, many other governments are still hostile to the private media, while maintaining a stranglehold over state-owned media, and the region remains a jungle when it comes to democratic media and communication policies. The media is very sensitive to threats, and investors and communities with interests in media are wary of any indications of hostility from governments. Often it is assumed that governments will acknowledge that democratic governance goes hand-in-hand with a free media, and that those in power will understand their obligations to the people, even those who oppose them, by expanding the democratic space. However, this is not the case in southern Africa. The region still has varying, restrictive and contradictory laws and policies that contribute to media stagnation and regression in countries such as Zimbabwe and Swaziland. The question by the One Africa TV reporter still remains: why is there no political support for media development? The answer, I feel, lies in the corridors of the region’s executive offices and information ministries. Most governments in southern Africa lack the capacity to understand and appreciate the relevance, importance and role of the media. Most government ministries dealing with information and communication are largely seen as government public relations departments. They are not developmental ministries. Worse still, democracy is seen not as part of the national development processes, but rather a nuisance to which lip service is paid at election time. These ministries are orientated towards defending the government and the ruling party, running down the national broadcasters and, in cases like Zimbabwe, are staffed with individuals who are both media workers and political party commissars. Most governments in the region are still caught up in the struggle against enemies, real or perceived, internal and external, to the detriment of engaging their communities in developing the media. For this reason, in Zimbabwe, the state media is part of the third ‘Chimurenga’ or third revolution. The enemies and victims are fellow citizens, local journalists and media organisations that have been shut down: a typical case of the revolution devouring its own children. This struggle has left the people behind, with the leaders marching on their own to defend the “gains of independence”: in other words, defending their political turf and privileges. The capacity to formulate and implement polices that help the media to grow is, therefore, far removed from the developmental agendas of governments in the region. Most governments are comfortable to license commercial entities that bombard citizens with foreign content, rather than develop independent voices that can carry the diversity of views within that specific society. This question of a lack of political support for media in the region is poignant, as we see hitherto stable countries such as Tanzania closing down newspapers because of critical reporting. South So This Is Democracy? 2008 -4- Media Institute of Southern Africa